The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, February 24, 1916, Page 6

1 ',' HH { -4 g p i H g | | i i | e S5IX Entered as second-class matter September 3, 1915, at the postoffice at Fargo, North Dakota, under the Act of March 3, 1879. D. C. Coates - - & = & e - z Managing Editor Advertising rates on application. Subscription, one year, in advance, $1.50; six months, $1.00. @ Communications intended for the paper should be addressed to the Non- partisan Leader, Box 919, Fargo, North Dakota, and not to any individual. The Leader solicits advertisements of meritorious articles needed by Farmers. Quack, fraudulent and irresponsible firms are not knowingly ad- vertised, and we will take it as a favor if any readers will advise us promptly . should they have occasion to doubt or question the reliability of any firm which patronizes our advertising columns. A Discriminating advertisers recognize the Nonpartisan Leader as the best medium in the state of North Dakota through which to reach the wideawake and up-to-date farmers. ; PATTERSON AND BURLEIGH COUNTY PRINTING newspaper, the Palladium, to his wife, Mr. Patterson has become entirely disinterested in the Palladium and can not be held to “di- rectly or indirectly” benefit by reason of the county awarding the printing contract for 1916 to the Palladium. Mr. Patterson, as county commissioner, voted to give the Palladium the contract, but if we are to believe the court, his transfer beforehand of the ownership of the paper to his wife lifts him absolutely above any motive of selfishness or desire for personal gain, since it is his wife and not he who will benefit by this contract. Thus is-the acme of human disinterestedness demonstrated! Thus does Mr. Patterson wash his hands of all taint of mere ma- terial gain and prove his single purpose to be uninfluenced by profit in the awarding of public contracts! For fear this utter frankness in revealing the true owner- ship of the Palladium is not sufficient, Mr. Patterson’s paper per- suaded the court that he leased the paper to one H. P. Knappen, who paid a flat rental therefor and therefore Patterson could not be interested in the paper getting the contract, for this rental was not dependent on the profits made by the Palladium. Here again Mr. Patterson proves himself above the influence of those business practices and conditions which govern ordinary mortals in the conduct of affairs, With much show of purity of motive he says that what he charges Mr. Knappen for rental of the paper, and what Mr. Knappen is willing and can pay in rental, is not dependent on the earning capacity of the Palladium and that the fact that Mr. Patterson helped the Palladium get a fat public contract in no way interests him as lessor and owner of the plant! The people of Burleigh county doubtless will think over this de- cision of the court and have some opinion of their own about it. HE people of Burleigh county are indebted to the district court there for a splendid and completely satisfying piece of logic. The court has held that since E. G. Patterson, county commissioner, has transferred ownership of his" THE FARMER AND THE BUSINESS MAN ' NCE again the Leader desires to state that it has no fight to make on the business man—as long as that business man does not fight the farmers’ organization. The Leader recognizes—a thing many business men have not done—that the farmer and the business man are close- ly related, that they ought to cooperate, that they ought to stand together, that they ought to make their interests identical, as far as it is possible. But many business men have got themselves in bad with the farmer because in matters political, in matters relative to high interest rates,. railroad robbery and grain gambling, they have been only half-heartedly with the farmer, if with him at all. In- O] s~ |:} ‘deed, many of them align themselves with the political tricksters, : and the schemers who prey upon the farmer. The business man has nothing to gain by this. He has " everything to lose by it. If he loses the farmer he has lost all— _ he has lost his prospects of an existence—at a business calling. The Leader-advises the farmers, all other things being equal, ' to. stand by those business men who stand’ by the farmers and the business man-who really stands by the farmer also stands by the farmers’ organization. sy THINKS THE FARMERS ARE “SOREHEADS” Nonpartisan League has decided to indorse John Burke for United States senator, and then continues as follows: “It certainly begins to look as though the sorehead ticket will be hyphenated with the Democrats.” s ; It is evident from this statement that the Independent is living up to its name. In all probability it is trying to be just ' HE Forman Independent-News says it has heard that the s l - as “independent” as its name sounds. Probably it feels that way, too. Probably it is actually independent of the farmers of Sar- - the great duty devolving upon him., than ever convinced THE,_NONPARTISAN LEADER The Nonpartivsan Leader PUBLISHED WEEKLY—EVERY THURSDAY Official Paper of the Farmers’ Nonpartisan Political League of North Dakota gent county. Probably it does not have to depend on farmer sub- scriptions for circulation. At any rate, it would be well for our 450 readers of the Leader and members of the League in Sargent county, many of whom no doubt take the Forman Independent-News, to know that Editor Maltby thinks they are a lot of soreheads. He says so in his paper. He also says that he wants to reserve unto himself the right to “entertain his own ideas as to how good works can be instituted.” That right, Brother Maltby, is very freely granted. But why, when others exercise that same right, do you call them “soreheads ?”’ e Because the farmers of this state decided to take their own interests into their own hands, does that justify you in calling them “soreheads” ? It will be well for our 450 and more readers in Sargent county to remember this when they drop in on Brother Maltby to pay up their subscriptions and jog his memory about it. LEAGUE WILL NOT TAKE PART IN COUNTY ELECTIONS N answer to several inquiries the Leader desires to state again that the Nonpartisan League will take no part in county politics. While we consider county offices import- ant and all that at the same time we. believe that county candidates are well enough known to their neighbors that wise selections, as a rule, will be made. : Furthermore the League will have all it can do to take part in legislative and state elections. When this organization started it was stated that the League would interest itself only in the matter of state officials and members of the legislature. We.still adhere to this original announcement. The same is true with reference to national candidates. ) That the League, by virtue of its strength, will have some influence on county and national elections in this state, cannot be questioned. But it is settled that it will make no particular in- dorsements or recommendations in either field. LAST CHANCE TO GET IN ON THE CONTEST OOK up our prize contest in this issue. It has been run- ning for several issues and the present one is the last. We made this contest short because there is another one soon to follow, Several hundred have already answered the contest. The contestants vary all the way.from ten year old school girls to old men of 80. This contest gives you an opportunity to express your idea in regard to politicians, the necessity of voting for farmers and also gives you a chance to get well paid for that opinion. : - Look up the contest notice right now and then write today. A day or two’s delay will make you too late. Contest closes Thurs- day, February 29. All letters must show postmark not “later than that date. 3 ANNOUNCEMENTS IN SCANDINAVIAN E have had many requests that we print the Leader in the Scandinavian language, for the reason that so many of our members are of that race. This is impossible for the Leader to do at present. ; . To meet this desire on the part of some members, however, we have arranged for the Fram, the Scandinavian paper of Fargo, to print much of our important news and official announcements each week. So, if you get the Fram, look out for them, and if you do not get the Fram and want to read of the League and its. doings in the Scandinavian language subscribe for the Fram at once. : 5% THE FARMERS ARE ALIVE S the Leader goes to press on Tuesday of each week in 7 order that each subscriber of its great circulation shall ¥ " receive his paper before the end of the week, we cannot : print any results of the precinct meetings held on Feb- ruary 22 in this issue. i . g However, as we go to press, we are receiving many telephone ¢ messages which tell us that the farmers from one end of the state to the other are gathering at the meeting places and participat- ing in selecting real farmer delegates to meet later to select can- didates for indorsement to political office in the state this fall. The weather for the day was beautiful #nd there was great enthusiasm everywhere, with the largest gatherings of earnest citizens ever brought together in this state for political acfion{- ; . This was serious business and every member seemed to realize It was like the gatherings of the patriots of old, who determined to have government to free them from unjust burdens at any cos S : o “From this first gathering of the vfalmer'clahs,» w,e:are,'l:n:ovi'e' S that the League, its principles and purposes